The Bounty Hunter is a mysterious figure who first appeared in the late 2900s. He (or she) always appeared to wear a fairly uncommon, and often thought to be an experimental, PA(L) (Power Armor - Light) suit. Its design, while heavily modified, was based off of the five Great Houses' special operations groups (SOG) suits whose designs were available only in limited numbers or thought to be LosTech to the majority of the military and mercenary units.[citation needed] The idea was that the suit obscured the wearer's identity enough to allow this mysterious figure to take on contracts of well known notorious criminals, who were more often than not brought back dead.

Always a MechWarrior, the Bounty Hunter piloted a variety of BattleMechs, typically leading a BattleMech lance. His 'Mechs were invariably painted a bright green with currency symbols on it, a feared sight on the battlefield, and often custom-modified, allowing for his or her PA(L) armor to be worn while piloting to further conceal the pilot's identity.

The Bounty Hunter had been active for close to a century, leading to speculation that the PA(L) suit, the modified 'Mechs that he piloted, and even the mysterious mythos surrounding the individual were passed from person to person via the death or retirement of the former MechWarrior whose personified him. Known people to have been the Bounty Hunter were Michi Noketsuna and Vic Travers, who inherited the equipment, as well as an ancient book referred to as "the tradition".[1] Travers eventually passed the legacy on to one of his aides going by the name of Walt Urizeman, though that name is held to be just one of the man's several fake identities.

The "Bounty Hunter" legend was the topic of a hero team-style tri-vid show called "The Bounty Hunters". Though tapping into the Bounty Hunter's reputation, the producers instead developed their own mythos almost completely unrelated to the real person. The popularity of the series was such that many people in the Inner Sphere cannot separate the fiction of the holovid from the reality of the true Bounty Hunter.[2]

Though no one knows for sure when he started, the first stories of the Bounty Hunter emerged in the 2920s when a masked individual piloting a green Warhammer attracted fame for hunting down some of the most infamous MechWarriors of the time - most frequently dead. No one ever found out his name, but he quickly gained wealth and glory by cashing in several high value bounties on some of the most elite and notorious MechWarriors operating at that time. Stories of this man defeating entire battalions single handed seem questionable, but the most famous albeit unconfirmed tale of this first Bounty Hunter saw him reportedly bring in the bodies of twenty-nine men who robbed a bank on El Giza, collecting millions in bounties offered by House Humphreys and making even more when he sold their BattleMechs. [3][4]

The man with the green Warhammer would disappear from public view after collecting the El Giza bounties, purportedly retiring immediately afterwards, until three decades later in 2957 when a man (or possibly even a woman) either in an environment suit or full Star LeagueMechWarrior Combat Suit piloting a green Warhammer appeared to claim the bounties on a group of pirates that had been preying worlds in the Principality of Regulus. For the next two decades the Bounty Hunter as he or she now became formally known would travel across the Inner Sphere and Periphery seemingly at random but more specifically tracking down some of highest bounties of the time, again most often dead. The volume of stories and rumors about the Bounty Hunter would also start to dramatically increase too as a number of copycats would attempt to cash in on the Bounty Hunter's reputation and anonymity.[3][4]

The second Bounty Hunter would also initially operate solo as before, but by the 2980s the Bounty Hunter had begun using a variety of BattleMechs other than his trademark green Warhammer and had started to operate with a team of fellow MechWarriors to assist him in taking down more lucrative contracts. Initially these teams were ad-hoc formations that the Bounty Hunter hired as needed, but by the 2990s they had become a more formalized part of his operation, with four to six associates accompanying the Bounty Hunter in the same 'Mechs all using the same green paint scheme he did.[3][4]

This change in behavior was assumed to be an indication of another individual taking up the mantle of the Bounty Hunter, it was also around this time that the Bounty Hunter's image began to darken, as rather than continuing to target notorious MechWarrior branded criminals he started to accept contracts merely for those warriors whose bounties were especially high, eventually accepting contracts to take out anybody - be they prominent generals, scientists, engineers and business men - not merely MechWarriors. Those who looked up to the Bounty Hunter as a noble folk hero, the one man able to bring the worst criminals to justice, now reviled him as a mere profit-driven mercenary, and worse the Bounty Hunter seemed to embrace it, adopting his now trademark practice of painting monetary symbols on his 'Mech as if to confirm his one true loyalty.[3][4]

The stories and rumors around the Bounty Hunter changed from noble adventures to tales of a man arguably worse than those he tracked. One of the earliest stories of this incarnation of the Bounty Hunter portrayed him and his team landing on the Federated Suns world of Markesan in 2996, killing two Armed Forces of the Federated Suns generals and numerous others who stood in their way. While making their way to the Draconis Combine to claim their bounties and carrying a large volume of AFFS 'Mechs as salvage, they slipped onto Le Blanc where they convinced a new and untested mercenary unit to give them safe passage to the Combine in return for arranging a contract with the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery. But as soon as they had safely entered Combine space, the Bounty Hunter and his team killed everyone belonging to the hapless mercenary unit, selling their 'Mechs and even their DropShip.[3][4]

For the next twenty years the Bounty Hunter seemed to make sport playing the Great Houses against each other, this focus on playing upon the ambitions of nobility may be an indication of another change in person using the identity. In 2998-2999 numerous stories abound in the Free Worlds League of the Bounty Hunter tracking down officers and popular MechWarriors, presenting their heads a proof to then-ColonelKatrina Steiner before in 3005 he had apparently turned on the Lyran Commonwealth to hunt Lyran nobles, politicians and generals. Around this time the Bounty Hunter was also alleged to have taken alternating contracts with the Federated Suns and Capellan Confederation to kill or kidnap notable individuals on both sides of the border, always one-upping his own deeds at the request of the side he had just targeted.[3][4]

Arguably one of the most infamous stories in his legacy is the Bounty Hunter's bitter feud with the Black Widow - Natasha Kerensky.

In June of 3014 during the Marik Civil War, the Bounty Hunter operated alongside Wolf's Dragoons on Nova Roma to hunt down Janos Marik-loyalists. During a mop-up operation following the conquest of the planet he signaled to Natasha Kerensky (then a regular Lieutenant with the Dragoons Beta Regiment) that a certain ravine in the Dawn River region which he had inspected was safe. When Kerensky's lance entered, they were ambushed and destroyed by enemy forces and Kerensky had to eject, being knocked unconscious. The remains of her unit–namely her Marauder–were salvaged by the Bounty Hunter who went on to use her 'Mech as his new signature 'Mech.[5] With only one member of her lance, Colin MacLaren suriving the ambush, this began a long and bitter personal feud between Kerensky and the Bounty Hunter. Kerensky would somehow claim the Bounty Hunter's Warhammer as her own in the wake of this incident.[3][4]

They clashed again on Le Blanc around 3024.[6][7] Full details of this engagement are not understood, but reportedly DukeMichael Hasek-Davion led Kerensky into a trap laid by the Bounty Hunter, reportedly as part of a scheme to use a captured Kerensky as leverage to force the Dragoons to sign on with Hasek-Davion. The ambush ultimately failed, but not before the Bounty Hunter killed two of Kerensky's MechWarriors out of sheer spite.[3][4]

The final meeting between them both amazingly saw them temporarily allying on Benet III in 3027 when their respective employers — Kerensky working for the Combine and the Bounty Hunter working for the FedSuns — left them both without support on a planet full of enemies. Against the expectations of many they set aside their animosity to join forces and left the world together, though their blood vendetta never cooled. The Bounty Hunter disappeared from public view following Benet III, though rumors insist he fought as a free agent throughout the Fourth Succession War accepting contracts from each of the Great Houses at various times.[3][4]

Following the Fourth Succession War, the identity of the Bounty Hunter passed to Michi Noketsuna in his quest for vengeance against WarlordGrieg Samsonov for the betrayal of Minobu Tetsuhara and Wolf's Dragoons. How Noketsuna claimed the identity is unknown, with suggestions either he met the previous Bounty Hunter and his associate Vic Travers at some point during the Fourth Succession War or that the Dragoons killed the previous holder and bequeathed the Bounty Hunter's identity and attendant equipment to Noketsuna, whose for quest for vengeance fell squarely in the Dragoons' agenda after the battle on Misery and the Fourth Succession War and that was undertaken with the Dragoons' blessing and the assistance of Dechan Fraser and Jenette Rand from mid-3028 onwards.[8][9]

Accompanied by Vic Travers (piloting an Orion, possibly the same one that had been with the Bounty Hunter on Benet III), Dechan Fraser (piloting a Shadow Hawk), and Jenette Rand (piloting a Dervish), Noketsuna embarked on his vendetta under the Bounty Hunter identity. On 10 January 3030 he and Fraser delivered Samsonov's severed head to Tomiko Tetsuhara, who however refused the gift and suggested her late husband's father might appreciate it[10] (though as it turned out, Minoru Tetsuhara did not approve of Noketsuna's vendetta either).

On 8 October 3030, they ambushed agent Panati, whom Noketsuna held responsible for the bombing on Barlow's End that had maimed Minobu Tetsuhara, in the city of Deber on Benjamin. Incidentally, they captured Theodore Kurita in the process. Kurita accepted Noketsuna's claim for vendetta and allowed him to kill Panati, recruiting Noketsuna to help protect the Draconis Combine from the nascent Federated Commonwealth in the process. On that night, Noketsuna turned over the Bounty Hunter's "tradition", 'Mech, armor and log to his lancemate Vic Travers, while Rand and Fraser decided to follow Theodore Kurita into service for the Draconis Combine.[11]

During Vic Travers's tenure the Bounty Hunter apparently actively engaged in eliminating his competition. Though in one instance he would "buy off" the Cursorial Hunt bounty hunting group in 3044, making a payment in public wearing his full armor, many others suffered violent ends such as the fate of the Meticulous Pursuit mercenary team.[9] In 3034, the Bounty Hunter reportedly hunted down and killed freelance MechWarrior/bounty hunter Dale Sandstrom over a competition for a contract.[12] In 3047Isabella "the Hyena" Cygnus, who had taken to advertising herself as the "new Bounty Hunter", was executed by Travers in rather public and brutal fashion for stealing his "shtick".[9]

In 3045 the Bounty Hunter brazenly landed on the Draconis Combine world of Marduk in pursuit of Tai-iRej Mori of the defending Sixth Benjamin Regulars. Expertly timed and grounding less than a kilometer from a Sixth company led by Mori engaged in a training exercise, the Bounty Hunter demanded his surrender only for Mori to show his true colors and flee. Unfortunately he ran into the waiting clutches of "Sheridan's Ghost". Mori was unable to land a shot on the nimble Wasp which eventually destroyed his Dragon's rear armor and gyro, blending back into the forest as the rest of the Bounty Hunter's team defeated Mori's company and picked up the war criminal for transport to the Federated Commonwealth.[13]

In May 3067 Vic Travers [15] undertook a successful and highly lucrative mission on Solaris VII that he considered to be possibly his last mission, intending to hand the legacy over to "Walt Urizeman" (whose real name remains unknown; Walt Urizeman is just one of several aliases the man used). Travers had already been grooming Urizeman as his successor for some time.

Later in 3067 Vic Travers accepted what he considered a fitting last contract for his tenure as the Bounty Hunter; hired by George Hasek to capture Kai Allard-Liao alive. Recognizing he would need some form of leverage in order to force the Duke of St. Ives to expose himself for capture, the Bounty Hunter learned that a Fernando Calvin was a childhood friend of Kai's young daughter Melissa Allard-Liao, and that Fernando's father Hector Calvin was the commander of the Calvin's Cuirassiers mercenary unit garrisoning the Federated Suns world of Perkasie. On 11 January 3068, with his associates drawing out the local defenders with a strike against the Water Purification Plant 51, the Bounty Hunter ambushed and defeated the Cuirassiers single handed to capture Hector and learn the location of his son. [16][17][18]

Information supplied by Fernando allowed the Bounty Hunter's team to pinpoint Melissa Allard-Liao's safe house in Tian-tan on St. Ives, the teenage girl attending a normal school under an false identity. Launching a swift and brutal attack to capture her on 25 June 3068, the Bounty Hunter and his team terminated all guards on site, and spirited Melissa away under sedation. [19] While the Maskirovka sought to find out the culprits, that same day the Bounty Hunter personally confronted a battlion from the First St. Ives Lancers led by Kai Allard-Liao, calling upon Kai to face him in single combat to secure the safe return of his daughter. To the surprise of Lancer MechWarriors watching the epic duel between the two greatest MechWarriors in the Inner Sphere at the time, the Duke of St. Ives lost, the Bounty Hunter claiming his prize and leaving the system unharmed as Kai had agreed, releasing Melissa once he had safely left the system.[20]

In the aftermath of the botched "RAMTech Job" on New Kyoto in early 3115, confirmed appearances by the Bounty Hunter ceased for a decade and a half, the longest period of inactivity by anyone using the identity since the Hunter's absence during the years 3051–3064.[23]

His incarnation was a man named Michi Fraser at one point there is indication that his first name changed, leaving the surname in doubt as well. What can be verified, however, is his appearance on the world of Misery, between the Draconis Combine and Federated Suns, in late 3130. Literally stealing a Legionnaire from the commander of the on-world Federated Suns forces, he single-handedly defeated an entire lance of Kurita troops, causing a greater shift in balance on Misery than had occurred in over a decade. He immediately went into hiding but reappeared several months later on the world of Marlowe's Rift (June 3131), where he once again handed the Combine their collective heads on a platter after several weeks of hit-and-run fighting. He reappeared on Harrow's Sun (March 3132), where prepared Combine troops savaged his Legionnaire. His name and bright emerald-clad 'Mech, however, only grew in stature as he escaped a trap in which any other warrior would have perished. Once more he vanished (this time for well over a year, and it's believed that he was terribly wounded, possibly mortally).[23]

During October/November 3133 the Bounty Hunter landed on Irian and quickly engaged the Clan Leaders of the Spirit Cats and Steel Wolf forces that were leading the assault against the Dragon's Fury, defeating them both. After that fight both Clan forces left the planet.[25] He was working at that moment for Katana Tormark. The Dragon's Fury gifted one of the new Marauder II variants from Irian to the Bounty Hunter for his service; the Hunter has painted part of it emerald green, and he calls itNoketsuna.[24]

During this period the Bounty Hunter was discovered and murdered by another subject. However, even his killer could not discover if Michi Fraser was his real name or only an alias, though the latter option seems more likely. The killer took the name and identity, becoming maybe the most infamous Bounty Hunter incarnation. Named Jonathan, he took the Bounty Hunter's identity as part of a plot by his brother Marcus, one of the richest persons in the Inner Sphere, to approach to Katana Tormark and kill her. Jonathan was a talented MechWarrior and fighter, lethal with any weapon and even his bare hands, an excellent cook, and a master hacker. However, he was also a psychopath and cold blooded killer who enjoyed torturing and killing, specially women, just for fun. He quickly murdered eight people, including three ISF agents, decapitating the last and sending the head to ISF director Ramadeep Bhatia.

Wearing the Bounty Hunter Armour, Jonathan infiltrated the Dragon's Fury headquarters on Proserpina but did not kill Katana Tormark, instead warning her about the imminent invasion of the Republic by Warlord Sakamoto in search for her group to destroy it, before leaving.

The Bounty Hunter then fought with the Dragon's Fury in the battle of Ancha, downing three fighters, though he actually only fought to win the trust of Katana's people and murder her partner, Antonia Chinn. However, Chinn was killed in battle before he could kill her. Enraged by the casualty, Crawford, his superior in the group, ordered the Bounty Hunter to hit Warlord Sakamoto, and Jonathan left on this new assignment. After infiltrating in the Draconis Combine as a wounded aerospace pilot, he managed to become Sakamoto's personal new cook.

The Warlord would die in a combat drop on Saffel. The Bounty Hunter fought in the same battle on Saffel, at the controls of a Panther BattleMech after killing and replacing his original pilot.

When Marcus accused his brother to have fallen in love with Katana Tormark, Jonathan responded by killing his brother.

While minor details change as as the persona changes hand, a few common facts remain true no matter who is wearing the armor. The Bounty Hunter is first and foremost motivated by money, but also by the challenge of accomplishing "impossible" contracts to prove his abilities and enhance his legend. Though willing to take calculated risks, this doesn't mean he's suicidal, each contract will be extensively reviewed and a detailed plan drawn up before he makes his move, and generally he will attack from ambush or from the least likely direction to ensure he succeeds. The Bounty Hunter is not sadistic, but he will do just about anything to complete his mission, if somebody stands in between him and his target, innocent or not, he will not shy from destroying any obstacles in his path. Though not capricious, those who wrong or betray the Bounty Hunter, either be attempting to reveal his identity or trying to cheat him, generally will find killed in short-order in brutal fashion.[26]

Typically, each Bounty Hunter maintains the persona for five to ten years before "passing the torch" to his successor, including the signature ’Mech, the DropShip, typically one-quarter to half of the war chest and a manuscript known as "The Tradition" — a rumored document that contains tradecraft knowledge for both bounty hunters and MechWarriors alike, written by those who'd previously held the position. Generally the Bounty Hunter will select his replacement from his closest trusted associates, often grooming his protégé and ultimate replacement, though upon occasion he will either sell the persona or in Clan fashion be killed and be replaced by an outside party seeking to lay claim to it. If alive, the retiring Bounty Hunter goes off to live the rest of his or her life in rich anonymity.[26]

Since the Thirtieth Century, the Bounty Hunter typically takes to the field with three to five associates, each also elite MechWarriors who normally pilot BattleMechs painted the same green at the Bounty Hunter's signature 'Mech. Like the Bounty Hunter, his associates' 'Mechs are all kept in pristine condition and often boast customization.[26]

These associates are recruited via a variety of methods, either the Bounty Hunter drawing associates from family and close friends, or similar to the Clans concept of Bondsmen, the Bounty Hunter offering positions to defeated foes captured in battle who he believes have the right skills and mindset to join his organization.[26]

Such associates who hold a permanent place in his team are among those few the Bounty Hunter trusts implicitly, not just with his life but also his identity and the true history of the Bounty Hunter. Those who betray this trust have never lived long enough to tell the tale. Members of Bounty Hunter's lance receive generous shares of the immense bounties collected in response to their loyalty, and often he will choose his successor from their number.[26]

Occasionally several of the old Bounty Hunter's closest associates "retire" when a new person takes over the role, at other times associates die in combat and leave the Bounty Hunter's lance with openings. When this happens, the Bounty Hunter typically either takes time off or takes smaller and less risky contracts until he can find suitable replacements to bring his lance back to full strength.[26]

The Bounty Hunter also boasts an extremely skilled technical team to keep both his own and his associates 'Mechs in perfect condition. Aside from being highly skilled, the technical team are all cross-trained in a number of other skills, with each MechWarrior, except for the Bounty Hunter himself, also expected to participate in 'Mech maintenance and repair. The chief tech is also the Bounty Hunter's personal technician and often is a MechWarrior who has previously served with the Bounty Hunter, like his associates the chief tech knows the Bounty Hunter's identity and received a share of the bounties for his contracts. None of the other techs know the secrets of the Bounty Hunter, in fact every time a new Bounty Hunter takes command the old technical staff and DropShip crew are fired and replacements hired.[26]

The Bounty Hunter has used numerous BattleMechs over the years, but all feature the same bright green paint job, emblazened with credit symbols across it's surface. The mere sight of Bounty Hunter's 'Mechs are a powerful tool in their own right.

Warhammer

Though overshadowed by later 'Mechs, the early holders of the Bounty Hunter tradition started out with green-hued Warhammer. While the specifics are not known, the Bounty Hunter apparently lost his Warhammer following his first encounter with Natasha Kerensky in 3014 who apparently claimed it as her own 'Mech. [3][4]

Marauder

Originally Natasha Kerensky's personal 'Mech, her Marauder subsequently became the Bounty Hunter's signature 'Mech of choice between 3014 and the Clan Invasion, triggering a well known animosity between them both. Shortly after acquiring it, the Bounty Hunter customized it following heavy damage it sustained during a Periphery mission, mounting a lighter 225-rated engine to mount jump jets to offset the lower speed and replaced the GM WhirlwindAC/5 with another Magna HellstarPPC and three addition Magna Mk IIMedium Lasers. A swap to Star League-era double heat sinks from a cache found in that same mission allowed the improvement of its armor by three tons. By 3044 Vic Travers modified the 'Mech again after acquiring an M-7Gauss Rifle, two ER PPCs and a 225-rated XL Engine, dropping the dorsal Hellstar, two medium lasers and three double heat sinks to make room for the Gauss Rifle and its two tons of ammo. Some sources indicate his signature Marauder, along with some of his associates, was lost during his battles against Clan Smoke Jaguar during the Clan Invasion. [3][4][27]

Mad Cat

During the Clan Invasion Vic Travers was able to claim a Clan Smoke Jaguar Mad Cat, which the Bounty Hunter often rode in battle against Clan and Inner Sphere targets alike in a custom configuration, mounting a Large Pulse Laser and a Medium Pulse Laser in each arm. It also had a Medium Pulse Laser in both the left and right torso with a Clan Light TAG in the center torso. A Light Active Probe, ECM suite, and a Targeting Computer provided stealth and increased accuracy. Though supposedly making appearances during the FedCom Civil War, many assumed the Bounty Hunter had disposed of this Mad Cat as he began to heavily favored his Marauder II, but during the Jihad he was again using a Mad Cat in a modified configuration, either an entirely new OmniMech or his original extremely battle-worn Mad Cat after a major overhaul. This Mad Cat sported a Large Pulse Laser in the left arm and paired ER Medium Lasers in the right arm, supported by a trio of SRM-4s in the left torso and similar trio of Streak SRM-4s in the right. Rounded out by an Anti-Personnel Gauss Rifle in each side torso and a ER Small Laser in the right, the Bounty Hunter's second Mad Cat also mounted a Targeting Computer as well as a Coolant Pod and three Jump Jets to enhance its effectiveness. A single ton of reloads for each weapon type was carried. [3][4][27]

Marauder II

During Vic Traver's tenure the Bounty Hunter acquired the use of a fearsome Marauder II equipped with Clan-grade technology via General Motors's "special projects" division as thanks for his "advertising efforts" represented by the Bounty Hunter's continued use of GM's classic design and as test-bed for a mass produced version. The Bounty Hunter's Marauder II features a standard Fusion Engine with sixteen tons of Ferro Fibrous armor and Endo Steel internal structure. It is armed with an ER PPC and two Medium Pulse Lasers in each arm. A Gauss Rifle sits in the right torso with two tons of ammunition, and a Targeting Computer is in the left torso for increased accuracy. It has a Clan-tech CASE system to protect the Gauss Rifle, and can jump 90 meters at a time. The Bounty Hunter would make use of this Marader II from the FedCom Civil War era, Jihad [3][4][27]. In 3133 he exchanged it for an Irian variant of the Marauder II, a MAD-6S. This was the one he piloted it in the Ancha battle and then left it behind during his mission to murder Warlord Sakamoto. Over the course of this mission, he took a Panther to assume the identity of its former pilot; this 'Mech was thus not painted in the usual fashion. It is implied that the Bounty Hunter intended to reclaim his Marauder II after the mission.

Loki II

While the how and whys are unknown, by 3150 the present holder of the Bounty Hunter identity had acquired a Loki II to replace his apparently ruined Marauder II.[28]

While less notable, the Bounty Hunter has also been known to have made use of a Grasshopper and Griffin, with some sources indicating the later 'Mech was what he was piloting when he stole Natasha Kerensky's Marauder in 3014.[3][4][29]

When ever the Bounty Hunter pilots a 'Mech or appears in public, he wears a customized green-hued full body MechWarrior Combat Suit, to obscure and protect his identity as well as allowing him to pilot his 'Mech. While more encumbering than the standard MechWarrior Combat Suit, his suit is much more armored, acting like a combination of a MCS and a Space Suit.[27]

Almost as famous as his green Marauder is his PA(L) suit. First appearing with emergence of the second Bounty Hunter in 2957, this priceless suit was a Mk. XXX variant of the Star League's top-secret Nighthawk PA(L) which the Bounty Hunter wears whenever he expects to encounter combat outside his 'Mech. While its stealth systems and jump pack were non-functional during the LosTech era of the Third Succession War, by the FedCom Civil War era these systems had been restored to operation. Generally the Bounty Hunter will dual wield Sternsnacht Claymore Heavy Pistols, his PA(L) taking care of the weight and recoil, along with carrying any other heavy weapons his requires for the mission.[27][30]

The Bounty Hunter's personal Mule-class DropShip, the La Blanc, has been heavily modified, sporting heavy armor plating, additional weapons, high-tech electronics, ECM and sensor systems. The Mule-class vessel has been modified with spacious crew quarters, 'Mech cubicles and drop chutes, while also having enough space for the entire crew, replacement equipment, ammunition and stores with space for salvage taken in battle.[26]